Sharpening perceptions of reality and providing spiritual guidance for those in the crux of wilderness experiences. Substantial spiritual nourishment for those who know or sense that Christ is anything but shallow. Encouraging readers to radically (which to Christ is normal) serve God and others.
The author is teaching herself and others to read the world through the lens of the gospel and to become active participants in the local and worldwide body of Christ.

Jan 21, 2010

The Expansive and Consuming Love of God - Even in Death

"and to know this love surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:19

Have you tasted and savored the love that surpasses knowledge? Imagine that you are standing on the shore, gazing at the beautiful blue-green ocean. The water is clean and crystal clear. You're compelled to enter. So you step forward, delicately dipping your foot into the water in an effort to test the temperature. Suddenly, you find yourself waist-deep. You continue forward until the water is up to your shoulders. Will you go any further? You tremble at the thought. If you proceed, you could easily drown. Who will rescue when you're alone?

While you may not risk going deeper into the ocean for fear of drowning, drowning in the waters of God's love leads to life. Merely standing on shore, gazing at the beautiful water, is like the beginning of the Christian life. Yet every time you exchange some of your ways for his ways, you step deeper into the ocean of his love. The deeper you go in, the more you see and experience him, the more alive you become. This is truth, you become more alive in him as you continually die to yourself (John 11:24-26, Galatians 2:20). When in faith you surrender everything to him so that you no longer claim anything as your own, the waters of his love will sweep you away. You will never touch bottom again.

When you allow yourself to drown in him then you will be rooted and established and filled with the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:17b-19). You will not care where the currents of his love take you because you will know, in an experiential way, that his love surpasses knowledge. You'll remember his words to Joshua now meant for you, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). You will trust, even if wherever means you're whisked into a hurricane. For everywhere his currents send you in the ocean of his love leads your soul to partake in his fullness. You'll realize how deeply in love you are when you can say like Job, "though he slay me I will trust him" (Job 13:15).

You will eventually learn to trust him even as you see the ocean currents ushering you through physical death into thre rest of life, eternal life. The culmination of your faith will be when you confidently say at death, "Death has been swallowed up in victory. 'Where, O death, is your victory?' Where, O death, is your sting?'" (I Corinthians 15:54-55) and then step onto the shores of the Promised Land.

I wrote this six or seven years ago, but could not share it on the radio or post it because of the 2004 tsunami. The metaphor was just too much. But, I share it today.

Gracious Christians Unite!

Marlena's Words in Other Places ~ click on the links

Read Old Books. They Expand Our Souls.

One excellent way to see how much our culture's passing weather patterns have influenced us is to read old books. If you recieve all your information from contemporary writers, Christian or secular, you will never perceive whole concepts that people in other generations could see. (For example, earlier generations of Christians perceived a power in sexual purity that eludes us completely; we can only fall back on "don'ts"). Every Christian should always have at his bedside at least one book that is at least fifty years old--the older the better.

"To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment nonetheless. Even in the wilderness - especially in the wilderness - you shall love him." —Frederick Buechner

Las Lajas Cathedral

About Me

In seminary, my pastor friends dubbed me a modern-day Christian mystic, a contemplative. I've been called to preach through the pen (or keyboard as technology has it). I've accepted my gifts and hope to nourish readers with the nourishment I've received. I'm married to my soulmate,Shawn. He's a philosophy professor. And I graduated from Northeastern Seminary (a truly great place) with an M.Div. and gave birth to a beautiful human being, my daughter Iliana, almost within the same week. I am a regular contributing writer for Christianity Today's Her.meneutics Blog and a proud member of the Redbud Writers Guild. If you are nourished by what you read, please pass it along to another wilderness traveler.